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Demographics, new technologies, increased investment in research and development (R&D), and opportunities overseas are driving growth in the medical products industry.

 
Adoption of new technologies and expanded applications of existing ones are key sales stimulants. Breakthroughs in technology enable medical device manufacturers to generate new revenue streams, enhance therapeutic outcomes significantly, and reduce long-term treatment costs relative to established pharmaceutical therapies.
 
Payer focus on healthcare cost containment in the United States and overseas presents a key ongoing challenge for the industry. Also of concern is the industry ability to maintain the productivity of R&D, especially given pricing pressures. Another uncertainty involves government investigations into conflicts of interest in physician-user and manufacturer relationships, which could lead to changes in the way medical devices particularly high-tech devices are marketed. Finally, ongoing concerns about the current process for tracking and communicating flaws in devices already on the market concerns that arose from a series of product recalls by Guidant and others are leading to proposals for changes.